CATEGORY: Managers
Sep 03, 2024
2024 Sterile Processing State of the Industry Report – Actionable Insights
The annual State of the Industry Report delivers unique, interesting insights for SPD professionals across the country. The survey often affirms known challenges, while simultaneously shedding light on new and emerging ones. What can leaders and managers do with all this information? Here are some actionable insights from the 2024 Sterile Processing State of the Industry Report. Finding great people People are entering the sterile processing industry in a variety of ways. Interestingly, the largest group of respondents indicated they had no knowledge of sterile processing before taking their first role. Found open position without prior knowledge of SPD: 37.43% Referred by a friend or colleague: 18.63% Moved from another department in the hospital/facility: 31.11% Pursued education at a university/college with the intent of starting a career in SPD: 12.83% Actionable insight: 62.57% of participants entered the sterile processing industry from within the healthcare field, via referral, or because of personal aspirations. Leveraging your professional and personal networks is a great way to find your next teammate. Building a great team around what SPD techs enjoy about their work We asked participants to identify the aspects of working in sterile processing that they enjoy the most. Participants submitted free responses, with some incorporating more than one aspect of the job they enjoy. Impact on Patient Safety: 45% Continuous Learning & Variety of Work: 30% Sense of Accomplishment & Importance of Work: 19.78% Problem Solving & Challenging Work: 11.74% Teamwork & Collaboration: 10.43% Playing a Behind-the-Scenes Role: 10% Actionable insight: Technicians that love working in sterile processing have and share many similar traits. When hiring for open spots on your team, it may be a good idea to look for candidates with the following qualities: Caring Curious Open to learning Team-oriented Stands behind their work Interested in the well-being of others Turning common problems into opportunities We asked 2024 Sterile Processing State of the Industry Survey participants to identify the most common problems they see in SPD. Participants were able to select three choices. Space: 52.17% Equipment: 38.37% Management: 27.98% Work Culture: 33.27% Pay & Benefits: 72.97% Training & Education: 45.37% Compliance: 16.64% Ergonomics: 13.23% Actionable insight: Issues regarding space, equipment, and compliance could be the source of workarounds and shortcuts being taken in sterile processing departments. If you’re seeing shortcuts being taken or an increased lack of compliance, assessing your space, how it’s utilized, and whether the equipment your team has at its disposal will likely serve as a good starting point toward addressing compliance concerns. Listen to your team We asked participants, “What is a problem that should be easy for sterile processing departments to resolve today?” and gave them a text box for free responses. Several themes emerged from the free responses, with some participants mentioning more than one problem in their replies. Training & Education: 66.96% Equipment & Technology: 10.49% Staffing & Workload: 9.15% Compliance & Standards: 6.92% Communication & Coordination: 6.92% Process Efficiencies: 3.35% Quality Control: 1.12% Safety: <1% Resource Allocation <1% Culture <1% Actionable insight: Many participants cited training & education as an easy problem to solve in the SPD. Asking your team what kind of training or education they’d like to see offered then leveraging free training provided by industry resources can help fill education gaps and let your team feel heard. Developing a consistent training schedule will help teams feel supported and well-trained, helping to build & maintain their industry knowledge and confidence. Ready to turn even more insights into action items for your department? These actionable insights are just the tip of the iceberg; to maximize what was learned in the 2024 Sterile Processing State of the Industry Report for your department, check out our other blog posts detailing findings and takeaways ahead of the 10.1.24 publishing of the report: Interested in using pre-built assessment tools in your department right now? Scan or click the QR codes below for access to free tools that can help you assess your department: SPD Ergonomic Checklist Luminosity Compliance Checklist
Jul 02, 2024
